Thursday, 12 July 2018

Microsoft Windows through the ages - which was your favourite?

It all started on 20th November 1985. It was a Wednesday, Ronald Reagan was in office (possibly watching Rocky IV) and Microsoft released the first version of its new operating system: Windows 1.0. “Interface Manager” was the initial code name, but “Windows” prevailed because windows were precisely what its computing boxes or screens looked like. Bill Gates called it “unique software for the serious PC user.”

Serious stuff. Windows 1.0 required 256 kilobytes, two double-sided floppy disk drives and a graphics adapter card. But seriously user friendly was what it was aiming to be.

Rather than typing MS-DOS commands, users could now move a mouse to click their way through screens. Packed with drop-down menus, scroll bars and icons, Windows also featured Paint, Windows Writer and Notepad. That was not all, there was also a calendar, clock, calculator and even a game (Reversi)! Where to from here?